Jun 2008
Milford Sound is one of the most beautiful places in the planet; and the most famous tourist attraction in New Zealand.
Milford Sound is in the "Fiordland" region of the South Island of New Zealand.
The entire Fiordland is part of the "Fiordland National Park". The Park has an area of 12,600 square km (about a sixth of Sri Lanka).
Fiordland is full of deep fjords along the coast (about fifteen of them; some of them 40 km long) surrounded by the steep sides of mountains that are 1,500 m to 2,500 m tall carpeted with snow at the top and lush rainforest below the snow line. (Yes, these are fjords; not sounds. Fjords are carved by glaciation. Sounds are sea water rushing into river valleys. But we would stick with Sounds to be consistent with cartographers).
As you go from North to South in Fiordland, the mountains get taller and the Sounds get wider. Milford Sound, at the northern end of Fiordland, is the only Sound that is accessible by road.
Milford Sound is about 4 hrs drive from Queenstown in New Zealand. About half the journey is southwards and westwards from Queenstown to Te Anau. And the other half is northwards from Te Anau to Milford Sound.
The journey from Te Anau to Milford Sound (along the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau) is considered one of the most picturesque in the world.
Our first stop on the road was at Mirror lakes walk. A short trek into the forest took us to small lakes with near perfectly still water offering lovely reflections of the Earl mountains in the early morning Sun.
Our next stop (to give our knees a break, pun intended, in the four hours drive) was at Chasm trail. Again a short walk took us to swirling water that sculpted shapes and basins in the rock on rainforest land. And views of mountains through tall trees.
We reached Milford Sound village (on the shores of the Sound) at noon. The village has a population of 120 and handles more than 1 million visitors each year! Since most tourists do day trips from Queenstown, the village has just one hotel with limited rooms. Most tourists arrive at noon and leave early afternoon with just 2 hrs window for all the tourism. If you are smart and use a private transport to arrive early, you could have the entire Sound for yourself in a private boat. Of course you can fly to the village in small aircrafts from Queenstown or Te Anau giving you a spectacular view of the Sound in a fly over.
We were just in time to catch our boat.
Milford Sound is 19 km long, with a narrow mouth, and a large interior bay which is surrounded by steep sides of tall mountains. A Maori legend suggests that a Demi God carved chunks of rock with his azde (a variant of axe), perfecting his skills as he moved from South to North. And that explains why Milford Sound, at the northern end, is quite beautiful. Maoris call it "Piopiotahi". Captain Grono, the first European to visit the Sound, called it "Milford Sound" after his hometown in Wales. Rudyard Kipling called it "the eighth wonder of the world".
The Sound has salt water at the base and fresh water (draining in from the rainforests) at the top. And thanks to the significantly high density of the sea water, they do not mix. The fresh water has a rocky mineral from the rainforest. As a result, sunlight is filtered and the seawater below is quite dark at even a 10 metre depth. This gives visitors an opportunity to see at 10 m depth the stuff that one can see only in far deeper ecosystems elsewhere. There is an underwater observatory where you can see "Black Corals" at 10 m depth!
The two waterfalls are rain fed. However, they are almost perennial since Milford Sound receives over 640 cm of rainfall each year and is one of the wettest places in the world. If you are planning a visit to this paradise on earth, you need to plan for wet weather. Rain is given in Milford Sound.
The cruise took us to the mouth of the Sound and back. Sailing in calm, still, black water surrounded by steep walls of tall mountains was an extraordinary experience.
There are some spots in the world where visitors are infected with happiness. Milford Sound is one of them.
Milford Sound is one of the most beautiful places in the planet; and the most famous tourist attraction in New Zealand.
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| Milford Sound, actually a fjord, one of the most beautiful spots in the planet |
Milford Sound is in the "Fiordland" region of the South Island of New Zealand.
The entire Fiordland is part of the "Fiordland National Park". The Park has an area of 12,600 square km (about a sixth of Sri Lanka).
Fiordland is full of deep fjords along the coast (about fifteen of them; some of them 40 km long) surrounded by the steep sides of mountains that are 1,500 m to 2,500 m tall carpeted with snow at the top and lush rainforest below the snow line. (Yes, these are fjords; not sounds. Fjords are carved by glaciation. Sounds are sea water rushing into river valleys. But we would stick with Sounds to be consistent with cartographers).
As you go from North to South in Fiordland, the mountains get taller and the Sounds get wider. Milford Sound, at the northern end of Fiordland, is the only Sound that is accessible by road.
Milford Sound is about 4 hrs drive from Queenstown in New Zealand. About half the journey is southwards and westwards from Queenstown to Te Anau. And the other half is northwards from Te Anau to Milford Sound.
The journey from Te Anau to Milford Sound (along the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau) is considered one of the most picturesque in the world.
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| Picturesque Milford Road from Te Anau to Milford Sound |
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| Picturesque Milford Road from Te Anau to Milford Sound |
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| Picturesque Milford Road along Eastern shore of Lake Te Anau |
Our first stop on the road was at Mirror lakes walk. A short trek into the forest took us to small lakes with near perfectly still water offering lovely reflections of the Earl mountains in the early morning Sun.
 |
| Mirror Lakes. Reflection of Earl Mountains in early morning Sun. |
 |
| Mirror Lakes. Reflection of Earl Mountains in early morning Sun |
Our next stop (to give our knees a break, pun intended, in the four hours drive) was at Chasm trail. Again a short walk took us to swirling water that sculpted shapes and basins in the rock on rainforest land. And views of mountains through tall trees.
 |
| Chasm Trail. Swirling water shaping rocks. |
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| Chasm Trail. View of mountain scape through trees. |
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| Chasm Trail. Lace work of branches dropping a thin veil over sky and rock. |
We reached Milford Sound village (on the shores of the Sound) at noon. The village has a population of 120 and handles more than 1 million visitors each year! Since most tourists do day trips from Queenstown, the village has just one hotel with limited rooms. Most tourists arrive at noon and leave early afternoon with just 2 hrs window for all the tourism. If you are smart and use a private transport to arrive early, you could have the entire Sound for yourself in a private boat. Of course you can fly to the village in small aircrafts from Queenstown or Te Anau giving you a spectacular view of the Sound in a fly over.
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| Milford Sound Ferry terminal |
We were just in time to catch our boat.
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| Our ride for the Milford Sound Cruise |
Milford Sound is 19 km long, with a narrow mouth, and a large interior bay which is surrounded by steep sides of tall mountains. A Maori legend suggests that a Demi God carved chunks of rock with his azde (a variant of axe), perfecting his skills as he moved from South to North. And that explains why Milford Sound, at the northern end, is quite beautiful. Maoris call it "Piopiotahi". Captain Grono, the first European to visit the Sound, called it "Milford Sound" after his hometown in Wales. Rudyard Kipling called it "the eighth wonder of the world".
The Sound has salt water at the base and fresh water (draining in from the rainforests) at the top. And thanks to the significantly high density of the sea water, they do not mix. The fresh water has a rocky mineral from the rainforest. As a result, sunlight is filtered and the seawater below is quite dark at even a 10 metre depth. This gives visitors an opportunity to see at 10 m depth the stuff that one can see only in far deeper ecosystems elsewhere. There is an underwater observatory where you can see "Black Corals" at 10 m depth!
The two waterfalls are rain fed. However, they are almost perennial since Milford Sound receives over 640 cm of rainfall each year and is one of the wettest places in the world. If you are planning a visit to this paradise on earth, you need to plan for wet weather. Rain is given in Milford Sound.
The cruise took us to the mouth of the Sound and back. Sailing in calm, still, black water surrounded by steep walls of tall mountains was an extraordinary experience.
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Milford Sound Cruise: Lady Bowen Waterfalls |
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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| Milford Sound Cruise: Scenic flight over the Sound |
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| Milford Sound Cruise |
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